Best single card GTX 280 or ATI 4870x2

[imported_spike99]

I normally play at 1920x1200 and I currently have a 8800 ultra.

I'm planning on buy a new video card next month but I want to stay away from SLI or CF. My understanding is that there are some games don't scale well with 2 video cards so I prefer to stick with a single video card.

I'm currently looking at GTX280 or ATI 4870x2. I was leaning toward the GTX280 since there may be a 55nm replacement in Q1 2009 and possibly use set-up to change. I don't know if there are set-up programs for ATI video cards...

ATI 4870x2 beats down GTX280 since it has 2 GPU's. Should I be concerned that this is actually CF in a single card. Will I have any issues with games that don't scale well with 2 GPU's ?

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[chizow]

You can't go wrong with the GTX 280, its everything your Ultra is, just more of it. There's no downgrade in any aspect, everything has been improved and you'll likely see ~50% improvement in games.

4870X2 can outperform the GTX 280 in games that scale well, but also introduces a lot of potential problems with CF scaling and drivers. In games that don't scale or have problems, you can just turn off CF and run with a single GPU, which will give you performance equivalent to a 1GB 4870 which is still very good.

I wouldn't bank on a step-up from a GTX 280 if you buy now. It looks as if NV will be silently replacing the 65nm parts with 55nm parts without introducing a new SKU, which means no step-up opportunity. The only potential step-up would be a GT200-based X2 card which is rumored to arrive sometime in Q1 '09, maybe as early as January. It will be the fastest single-card solution around, but will still have many of the same problems as CF.

There's a few members here who have used both a 4870X2 and GTX 280, I'm sure they can give you more accurate pros and cons of both.

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: spike99


I'm planning on buy a new video card next month but I want to stay away from SLI or CF. My understanding is that there are some games don't scale well with 2 video cards so I prefer to stick with a single video card.

The 4870X2 still uses crossfire so you would have the same scaling issues.

 

[JPB]

I agree with Wreckage, the 4870X2 may be a single card, but it is still based on Crossfire. I have seen a couple games where the GTX280 totally outruns it.

Honestly right now if it were me, I would go with the GTX280. It's cheaper, and doesn't have any scaling issues. My opinions are based off of reviews though since I have never used either of the two mentioned cards.

 

[Cheex]

Well...I know you asked about the GTX280 and the 4870X2 but....

The 4870 1GB is really carrying the swing right now with price/performance.
Just thought I'd point that out.

:thumbsup:

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Cheex
Well...I know you asked about the GTX280 and the 4870X2 but....

The 4870 1GB is really carrying the swing right now with price/performance.
Just thought I'd point that out.

:thumbsup:

I guess it depends where you live but the 1GB 4870 is still the highest priced part in that $200-300 range in the US, more than OC'd c216s even. Latest reviews show the Core 216 as the best in price/performance right now, but its close enough that you certainly can't go wrong with either part imo.

 

[imported_spike99]

Thanks for your suggestions... I was leaning towards GTX 280 and I still am due to concerns over possible scaling issues with ATI 4870x2.

It would have been nice to hear from anyone using ATI 4870x2.... and see if they have any scaling issues...

 

[SlowSpyder]

The nice thing about the 4870x2 is that even when it does have scaling issues you still get 4870 1GB performance which is usually quite close to the GTX280. At best you get a much faster card then the GTX280. Of course the 4870x2 is more money, so my guess is that it'd be best to look at benches that compare the two with games you play and decide what is best for you.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: spike99
Thanks for your suggestions... I was leaning towards GTX 280 and I still am due to concerns over possible scaling issues with ATI 4870x2.

It would have been nice to hear from anyone using ATI 4870x2.... and see if they have any scaling issues...

Far Cry2 scaling issue

10% scaling for the 4870X2, 30% for the SLi.

Neither is what I'd call great scaling, but at least the SLi offers scaling you can notice.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: spike99

ATI 4870x2 beats down GTX280 since it has 2 GPU's. Should I be concerned that this is actually CF in a single card. Will I have any issues with games that don't scale well with 2 GPU's ?

There's your answer. It wins most of the time, and when it doesn't scale, you have these options:

1. Use it as a single 4870 1GB

2. Wait for a driver/hotfix to address scaling issue, or switch dx10/dx9.

3. Rename game's executable to force AFR.

9 times out of 10 there should be no probs

Originally posted by: nRollo
Far Cry2 scaling issue

10% scaling for the 4870X2, 30% for the SLi.

Neither is what I'd call great scaling, but at least the SLi offers scaling you can notice.

If you click the small DX9 button at the bottom of that page that rollo linked to, you'll see the 4870X2 performing 33% faster than a single GTX280, and only 3 FPS shy of GTX280 SLI performance.

 

[nitromullet]

my personal experiences at 1920x1200 with a 4870 X2 and a GTX 280 a few months ago... http://steelforest.net/video/4870X2-GTX280.htm

cliff notes: I've had both cards in my possession at the same time... I still own a GTX 280, and not a 4870 X2.

 

[imported_spike99]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
my personal experiences at 1920x1200 with a 4870 X2 and a GTX 280 a few months ago... http://steelforest.net/video/4870X2-GTX280.htm

cliff notes: I've had both cards in my possession at the same time... I still own a GTX 280, and not a 4870 X2.

Thanks for the link. Nice of you taking the time and putting those graphs together and comparing 4870 X2 vs GTX 280.

I'm actually not in a rush... I'm pondering if I can wait until the 55nm come out in Q1 '09.... dunno yet.

I'm definitely leaning towards NVIDIA. Thanks for all the input/suggestions !!

 

[TPUBinge]

4870x2 or the next generation GTX2xx model. I'd get a GTX260 over a GTX280 simply because of how well the 260 overclocks and how small of a difference there is between the 260 and 280.

 

[imported_burningrave101]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Cheex
Well...I know you asked about the GTX280 and the 4870X2 but....

The 4870 1GB is really carrying the swing right now with price/performance.
Just thought I'd point that out.

:thumbsup:

I guess it depends where you live but the 1GB 4870 is still the highest priced part in that $200-300 range in the US, more than OC'd c216s even. Latest reviews show the Core 216 as the best in price/performance right now, but its close enough that you certainly can't go wrong with either part imo.

The regular core 192 GTX 260 offers the best price/performance out of anything right now. There have been some great deals on it lately with rebate and the 216 is only showing a very few fps faster. The reviews I looked at showing it around 2-5 fps faster which doesn't quantify it's price over the older 192 model.

Right now you can buy 2 GTX 260's off eBay using the Live promotion for less than $340 and they will be faster in SLI than a 4870X2 and cheaper.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: spike99

Originally posted by: nitromullet
my personal experiences at 1920x1200 with a 4870 X2 and a GTX 280 a few months ago... http://steelforest.net/video/4870X2-GTX280.htm

cliff notes: I've had both cards in my possession at the same time... I still own a GTX 280, and not a 4870 X2.

Thanks for the link. Nice of you taking the time and putting those graphs together and comparing 4870 X2 vs GTX 280.

I'm actually not in a rush... I'm pondering if I can wait until the 55nm come out in Q1 '09.... dunno yet.

I'm definitely leaning towards NVIDIA. Thanks for all the input/suggestions !!

np, but definitely keep in mind that my graphs are from Aug 08 (less than a month after the 4870 X2 came out), so they may not be an accurate representation of what one might experience with the current drivers for both cards.

Personally, I don't think the 55nm NV cards are going to bring very much to the table for the end user. I think the smaller process will help NV's costs more than it will increase performance. I guess we'll have to wait and see, although these cards have been rumored since October and nothing has materialized yet.

With regards to your current situation... If you generally are happy with your 8800 Ultra, you will also be pleased with a GTX 280. The GTX 280 has about the same overall feel in terms of driver compatibility, but it yields a nice little bump in performance over the 8800GTX/Ultra. Then again, so does a GTX 260 which is quite a bit cheaper.

The 4870 X2 is not a bad card by any means. It's just a multi-gpu setup, so it has some weaknesses that the GTX 280 doesn't have. Personally, I just felt the GTX 280 to be an overall easier and smoother solution for 1920x1200. Perhaps higher resolutions might yield a different result for me, but I don't have a 30" LCD.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Get the GTX280 and use the 8800 for physix to offload that from the GTX280 and therefor boost FPS even higher if you enable physix.

Just a thought.

note: I believe this is possible and maybe someone with more experience can confirm or deny this.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
Get the GTX280 and use the 8800 for physix to offload that from the GTX280 and therefor boost FPS even higher if you enable physix.

Just a thought.

note: I believe this is possible and maybe someone with more experience can confirm or deny this.

This can be done, and an 8800U would make a bad ass PhysX card.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: nRollo

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
Get the GTX280 and use the 8800 for physix to offload that from the GTX280 and therefor boost FPS even higher if you enable physix.

Just a thought.

note: I believe this is possible and maybe someone with more experience can confirm or deny this.

This can be done, and an 8800U would make a bad ass PhysX card.

And there you go...that's the best solution IMO, especially seeing as you have a Mobo that can do SLi...2x cards is no problemo.

 

[Dadofamunky]

That's the best solution of all. You get to leverage your existing card and don't have nearly the hassles you would switching over to ATI.

I have heard the new GTX 260 216 is actually FASTER than the GTX 280 for a lot of things!

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
That's the best solution of all. You get to leverage your existing card and don't have nearly the hassles you would switching over to ATI.

I have heard the new GTX 260 216 is actually FASTER than the GTX 280 for a lot of things!

Heard where? What things? And what about when you start overclocking the card?

 

[lupi]

i was very tempted to pick up the x2 when BB had them on sale, but with numerous games having problems using the full power of the x2 I decided to go with the 280 instead.

 

[MarcVenice]

The HD4870X2 will be the fastest most of the time. But then again, a GTX280 costs $355 AR, a HD4870X2 costs $470 AR. Pretty big price difference.

There is also this card, but you'd have to jump on it right now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150330

I've seen reviews of it being withing 1% of the gtx280's performance. For $100 less, that's a steal. If I could buy this card in Holland for 250 euro's, I'd sell my HD4850's and jump on it.

 

[darXoul]

I was in the same boat like 2 months ago. I finally decided to stick with a single GPU solution, so I bought eVGA 280 GTX FTW. I play in eye candy 1920*1200, and the card handles everything with ease. Even Crysis runs surprisingly well. Actually, when I was upgrading, the 4870X2 was considerably cheaper than the card I bought, and of course quite a bit faster in most games. However, due to drivers, microstuttering issues, high power consumption and noise, I picked the GeForce.

The card is awesome, the only drawbacks so far are:

- high noise under load

Not many games can force the fan to become really loud but some do, e.g. Witcher at night in dense vegetation areas like the swamp or LotRO in DX10 mode in forests where a lot of dynamic shadows are present. Otherwise, the card is really quiet.

- capacitor noise

In some games like e.g. Heroes V or WAR, in some areas when the card reaches very high FPS despite eye candy mode, capacitors on the card start "buzzing". It's not very troublesome but audible. Fortunately, it only happens under certain conditions.

If I was buying a card now, I'd probably choose something like BFG 260 GTX OCX MaxCore. At least here, it's pretty cheap compared to 4870X2/280, and it's a really fast card, extremely close (in some benchmarks even faster!) to a non-OCed 280 in terms of performance, with the undeniable advantages of lower power consumption and noise.

 

[MarcVenice]

Yeah, check these benchmarks for the xfx black edition I was talking about: http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._gtx_260_black_review/

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Yeah, check these benchmarks for the xfx black edition I was talking about: http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._gtx_260_black_review/

I can't believe how they improved 8xAA. That alone is amazing, besides the all around performance gains with the 180's.